The University of Louisiana System Board of Supervisors announced the finalists following public interviews and campus forums held on April 29 and 30 at ULM’s Bayou Pointe Event Center. The selection comes after months of outreach, applications and vetting by the system’s presidential search committee.
Broadwater, currently vice president and deputy general counsel at CSRS, LLC, in Baton Rouge, brings a background in higher education policy, law and state government. He previously served as vice president for workforce policy and general counsel for the Louisiana Community and Technical College System. He also held office as a Louisiana state representative from 2012 to 2018, representing District 86.
Broadwater’s academic credentials include a Juris Doctor and a bachelor’s in civil law from Louisiana State University, a Master of Divinity from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary, and a bachelor’s degree in sociology and family life studies from Louisiana College.
Castille offers a background in agriculture, higher education and federal policy. She served as senior vice chancellor and senior vice president of the University of Tennessee System, overseeing statewide research and extension programs. Prior to that, the Trump administration appointed her as director of the USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture, where she managed more than $1.9 billion in research and program funding.
Castille earned her doctorate in renewable natural resources from LSU, a master’s in environmental studies, and a bachelor’s in industrial engineering from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette.
ULM launched the search after current President Dr. Ron Berry announced his retirement earlier this year. Berry, who took office in 2020, guided the university through the COVID-19 pandemic and expanded community outreach and workforce development initiatives.
The board will hold final interviews with Broadwater and Castille on May 19 in Baton Rouge at the Claiborne Building. A decision on the next president will follow shortly after.
The search committee includes UL System board members, faculty, staff, students, alumni and local community leaders. It held meetings open to the public and welcomed input from campus stakeholders throughout the process.
For ongoing updates, the UL System has published materials and recordings on its official search page at ulsystem.edu.
